Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily Entertainment GuideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Biography
  • Awards
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Douglas Adams(1952-2001)

  • Writer
  • Script and Continuity Department
  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Douglas Adams
Growing Up In The Universe
Play trailer1:01
Growing Up in the Universe (1991– )
1 Video
1 Photo
Born Douglas Noel Adams on March 11, 1952 in Cambridge. From 1959 until 1970 he went to Brentwood school in Essex, and his main interest was science. As a student in Cambridge he decided to hitch-hike through Europe to Istanbul, and in order to raise funds for this he took a lot of small jobs. In 1970 he left school to become a writer, certain that success was just around the corner. But nothing happened. He worked with the late Monty Python member Graham Chapman and John Lloyd, but hardly anything they did was published.

On February 4 1977 he met Simon Brett, who then was doing Radio 4's 'The Burkiss Way'. They agreed to produce a science fiction comedy show on radio. This was the birth of the Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy.

Douglas Adams married Jane Belson on November 24 1991 and they have a daughter by the name Polly Jane, born on June 22, 1994. They lived in Islington, but in 1999 they moved to California, USA. In 1997 Douglas signed a deal with Disney to make a feature movie, and he immediately started working on the screenplay. Jay Roach, of Austin Powers fame, was signed as director.

On the morning of May 11 2001, Adams went to the local gym to work out. There he suffered a massive heart attack and all attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. He died, and left his 6 year old daughter Polly, his wife Jane, his mother Jan Thrift, brother James and countless other family members and friends, not to mention thousands and thousands of fans all over the world, in shock and mourning.

Author of the hysterically funny series of books, summarized as "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", which also include a radio series, a TV series, stage play, record albums, computer game, graphic novels and a bath towel.

He also wrote the Dirk Gently novels and a non fiction book, "Last Chance to See", about endangered species. Apart from being a writer, he was also a chicken shed cleaner, bodyguard for an Arab royal family and he actually at one time played guitar for Pink Floyd (42nd birthday gift from David Gilmour, an old friend).

Douglas co-founded the company The Digital Village (now h2g2), producing nearly everything that has to do with media: TV, movies, computer games etc. He was one of the creators of Starship Titanic, a combined book (co-written with Terry Jones of the Monty Python bunch) and computer game.

It was often claimed that P.G. Wodehouse had influence on him and his work, and when once asked about this he replied: "Yes, a huge impact. But not an early impact. I didn't start reading Wodehouse until I was writing 'Restaurant at the end of the universe'. I can see the impact starting almost immediately. I think that Wodehouse, without exaggeration, was a genius on the English language."
BornMarch 11, 1952
DiedMay 11, 2001(49)
BornMarch 11, 1952
DiedMay 11, 2001(49)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 2 nominations total

Known for

Alan Rickman, Warwick Davis, and Martin Freeman in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
6.7
  • Writer
  • 2005
Elijah Wood and Samuel Barnett in Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (2016)
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
8.1
TV Series
  • Writer
Starship Titanic (1998)
Starship Titanic
7.8
Video Game
  • Writer
  • 1998
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Radio Show Live
8.8
  • Writer(creator)
  • 2016

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Writer



  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
    • based on the books by
    • Pre-production
    • TV Series



  • Embers (2024)
    Embers
    Short
    • Writer
    • 2024
  • The Cookie Conundrum
    Short
    • based on
    • 2018
  • Doctor Who: Classic Doctor Novel Readings (2012)
    Doctor Who: Classic Doctor Novel Readings
    Podcast Series
    • story by
    • 2018
  • Elijah Wood and Samuel Barnett in Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (2016)
    Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
    8.1
    TV Series
    • based upon the novels by
    • based on the novels by
    • 2016–2017
  • Tom Baker and Lalla Ward in Doctor Who: Shada (2017)
    Doctor Who: Shada
    7.2
    Video
    • writer
    • 2017
  • Doctor Who: Target Novelisation Audiobooks (2005)
    Doctor Who: Target Novelisation Audiobooks
    Podcast Series
    • story by
    • 2012–2017
  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Radio Show Live
    8.8
    • created by (creator)
    • 2016
  • Tom Baker, Lalla Ward, and Paul Jones in Doctor Who and the Shada Man (2013)
    Doctor Who and the Shada Man
    6.2
    Video
    • writer
    • 2013
  • Dirk Gently (2010)
    Dirk Gently
    7.6
    TV Series
    • based on the books by
    • based on "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" by
    • 2010–2012
  • Alan Rickman, Warwick Davis, and Martin Freeman in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
    The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
    6.7
    • book
    • screenplay
    • 2005
  • Doctor Who: Shada (2003)
    Doctor Who: Shada
    7.6
    TV Mini Series
    • written by
    • 2003
  • Starship Titanic (1998)
    Starship Titanic
    7.8
    Video Game
    • Writer
    • 1998
  • Doctor Who: Shada (1992)
    Doctor Who: Shada
    7.5
    Video
    • by (original material)
    • 1992
  • Hyperland (1990)
    Hyperland
    7.8
    TV Movie
    • Writer
    • 1990
  • Labyrinth: The Computer Game (1986)
    Labyrinth: The Computer Game
    5.8
    Video Game
    • additional writing
    • 1986

Script and Continuity Department



  • Paul McGann, Colin Baker, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, William Hartnell, Sylvester McCoy, Jon Pertwee, and Patrick Troughton in Doctor Who (1963)
    Doctor Who
    8.4
    TV Series
    • script editor
    • 1979–1980

Actor



  • Rockstar (2000)
    Rockstar
    5.8
    Music Video
    • Black shoe and blue jeans trouser leg
    • 2000
  • Starship Titanic (1998)
    Starship Titanic
    7.8
    Video Game
    • Shorbut Sweet aka Succ-U-Bus
    • Leovinus
    • 1998
  • The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1981)
    The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy
    8.0
    TV Series
    • Man in Ocean
    • Man in Pub (uncredited)
    • 1981
  • Paul McGann, Colin Baker, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, William Hartnell, Sylvester McCoy, Jon Pertwee, and Patrick Troughton in Doctor Who (1963)
    Doctor Who
    8.4
    TV Series
    • Man in Café (uncredited)
    • 1979
  • Out of the Trees (1976)
    Out of the Trees
    6.9
    TV Movie
    • Thug Attacking Old Lady (uncredited)
    • 1976
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969)
    Monty Python's Flying Circus
    8.8
    TV Series
    • Ulverston Road Pepperpot
    • Dr. Emile Koning - Surgeon (uncredited)
    • 1974

Videos1

Growing Up In The Universe
Trailer 1:01
Growing Up In The Universe

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • h2g2
  • Alternative names
    • Douglas Noel Adams
  • Height
    • 6′ 5″ (1.96 m)
  • Born
    • March 11, 1952
    • Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK
  • Died
    • May 11, 2001
    • Santa Barbara, California, USA(heart attack)
  • Spouse
    • Jane BelsonNovember 24, 1991 - May 11, 2001 (his death, 1 child)
  • Other works
    Created The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for BBC Radio.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Biographical Movie
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 2 Interviews
    • 37 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    When he died, his Internet site was flooded by condolence messages, a big amount of whose simply read "So long and thanks for all the fish", one of the catchphrases from the Hitchhiker's Guide. The same sentence is also his gravestone epitaph.
  • Quotes
    [on BBC Online chat, 11/8/00] I'm 48, which is a bit of a shock to me. Why only last year I thought I was a precocious young thing!
  • Trademarks
      42 - the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
  • Nickname
    • DNA

FAQ

Powered by Alexa
  • When did Douglas Adams die?
    May 11, 2001
  • How did Douglas Adams die?
    Heart attack
  • How old was Douglas Adams when he died?
    49 years old
  • Where did Douglas Adams die?
    Santa Barbara, California, USA
  • When was Douglas Adams born?
    March 11, 1952

Related news

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More to explore

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
Get the IMDb app
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
Follow IMDb on social
Get the IMDb app
For Android and iOS
Get the IMDb app
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • License IMDb Data
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.